Fade to Blue
by Rover42
Summary: Wheatley finds Chell in a bake shop after he escapes from Aperture, and he tries to earn her trust and forgiveness. At the same time, he begins to develop feelings for her. When he finally has the courage to ask her out, he finds out the hard way that she's with somebody else. Words are said, accidents happen, and clouds fade away to reveal blue skies. Rated T just for precaution.
1. Chapter 1 - It's Him

**A/N: Hello Readers! Welcome to my story… I guess! This is the first one I've posted, but not the first I've written, in fact it's the… *ponders while the Jeopardy theme plays*… fourth or fifth story I've actually done. Reviews are certainly welcome, and I hope you enjoy. This story will be continued, if you're wondering.**

~Chell~

I never meant to hurt him. Despite what he did – or tried to do to me – I just can't bring myself to hate him. And because I couldn't , I never wanted to break his heart and tell him the truth, but now he found out the hard way. I need to apologize…

_Let's rewind._

–Four Months Earlier –

~Chell~

Stephan and I were about to close up shop when I heard the door open and the jingle of the small bell above it. Probably another desperate parent needing to get a cake for a birthday or something. We get a lot of people like that. I'll let Stephan get it. I wander to a hook on the wall and hang up my flour-and-icing-covered apron.

"Welcome to Sweet Treats bake shop! How can I help you?" I hear him ask. He always is so cheerful and perky, even on the dreariest days. I remember the time when we were both in the kitchen making a large batch of cupcakes and he started throwing flour at me, and I then threw icing back at him, and we ended up making a mess of everything, including a few cupcakes. But it was worth it. It was the first time in my life that I ever had a friend like that; making a mess of things for the heck of it and not caring about the consequences. But then there was Wheatley…

My gaze falls to the floor.

Wheatley. I feel a pang of guilt strike me as I think about all the times we shared. Cutting off _Her _neurotoxin supply, swapping _Her _turrets out for "crap turrets" as he'd called them… In a way, it was all fun to me. But then there was the core transfer… The guilt permeating through me is promptly overcome by rage. He took over the facility, he didn't give me the freedom we agreed on reaching together, he tried to _KILL ME _countless times, and then he wanted me to let myself fly out into space so he could survive after I shot a portal on the moon. He was a selfish, stupid construct, and I didn't see it until it was too late; after I blithely put him in charge of everything. How could I have been so careless and naïve? Ugh, I'm glad I sent him to space. He deserved it.

I snap out of my trance and walk over to the sink to finish washing the dishes, and at the same time, listen to Stephan talk with the customer. No matter what he's saying, I love the sound of his gentle, patient voice reverberating off the walls.

"Where exactly did you say you were from?" he asked.

"I-uh-I came from this place, this facility called 'Aperture Science'," the man said.

My heart almost stopped. His British accent was unforgettable.

"I'm looking for this lady; s-she's about my height, I think, she doesn't talk much, and-and she has dark brown hair that she always has in a… what does she call it?... Oh, a ponytail! Yeah that's it! She always has it in a ponytail. Have you seen her?"

I immediately drop the cake pan I'm washing and wander to the small window that opens into the front room. The man who had just spoken seems to be about my age, if not younger, he has caramel-gold hair and is wearing an Aperture employee outfit. He looked up at Stephan, waiting for his response, and I got a better look at his eyes. They were lustrous and appeared that they not only reflected light, but radiated their own.

I'm sure of it. That's Wheatley, alright.

**A/N: Just so you all know, "Stephan" is pronounced "Ste-ven" in this story; I just wanted to mix it up a bit! And by the way, for those who haven't already figured it out, Stephan is Cake/Logic Core. **


	2. Chapter 2 - He Found Me

***1/13/14: Just a typo update here! I have some friends reading it who won't stop bugging me about my grammar issues, but since I wrote this late last night, I was kinda expecting it. If there are still mistakes… oh well. The ones I corrected were actually confusing so I needed to fix them, for my own sake as well as for you readers. And again, this is not a new chapter. Sorry. But I promise to update again sometime soon!***

**A/N: Hola Amigos! Just another chapter here! I've already written most of it in my notebook, so now it's just a matter of typing it up and editing it. Anyway, enjoy!**

~Chell~

But that's impossible! I sent him to space and he was a core; a robot! Maybe it's a coincidence and this is another person from Aperture who sounds just like him and knows almost exactly what I look like…

Who am I kidding. Obviously not myself.

I look at him again through the window, and try to find something that makes him… _not him_. But I can't. Every one of his features is fitting to his character; his tousled gold hair, his glowing azure eyes peering through his big, square lenses, darting nervously around the shop. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this was him as a human being before he was transferred into a core or something. I wonder how that would be possible, though. A robot being transferred into a human? I mean, putting human traits and personalities into a robot seems difficult, but doable, as the other way around just seems plain ridiculous. But hey, with Aperture, anything's possi-

"I-It's you."

Reality hits me again and I realize what just happened. I'm standing right in front of the pane-less window, and he sees me. Our eyes meet for what seems like hours when it's really only a few seconds before I'm overcome by a feeling that I'm being dragged back to Aperture and being forced to test for a sadistic supercomputer who's constantly taunting me about being adopted or fat or whatever else. My chest is tightening and making it hard to breathe, and I start backing up as if I'm about to run, but to my dismay, I'm still in the bake shop. I topple over a metal cart, causing pots and pans to crash noisily on the floor and me to hit my head on a cabinet behind it. Rubbing the back of my head, I stand up and walk towards the kitchen door, but I slip on a cookie tray, stumble into a counter, and send the container of flour flying across the room, spilling its contents all over, including on me. Spectacular. The kitchen's a wreck now, my head is throbbing, _and _Wheatley's here. I must have really great luck today.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" I hear Stephan ask.

Has he made the connection to who the man in the shop is? Or that he's looking for me and so obviously found me?

Yeah, I'm fine, just, you know, a bit _uncomfortable_ being within about ten feet of the person who tried to MURDER ME that's all, I consider telling him, but I decide otherwise.

_That's him! _I sign to him, _He's the guy that tried to kill me!_

Stephan will know who I'm talking about. He's the first and only person I've ever told about Aperture.

"So you mean that's…"

_Wheatley. Yes… He found me._

~Wheatley~

I can't believe it. _She _brings me back from space, puts me in my original human form, _lets me go_, and I find her. Ohh, man alive, I thought I'd DIE before I would ever see her again. It's my second and only chance to make things right; I can't blow it.

The man who was behind the counter isn't there anymore, so I'm guessing he went into the small kitchen in the back to talk to the lady. Of course, he'd be the only one _talking_, 'cause she doesn't talk. Though I think everything would be easier if she did, it would. But that doesn't matter right now. What matters most is that I'm finally going to have a chance to tell her that I'm sorry for what I did. Wait what am I going to say? Ohhh, I didn't think of that. I could tell her what I rehearsed over and over in space… no, that seems too cliché. Argh, I should've thought this one through _before_ I decided to find her. I hear the door creak open.

Too late. I guess I'll have to wing it.

I look up to see the lady coming out of the door and walking towards me, and the bloke who I met when I first came in resumed him place behind the counter, but seemed to be staring daggers at me. It makes me feel so small and worthless when people do that. Anyway, she doesn't stop advancing towards me until we are at arm's length away from each other. I can't help but admire how pretty she looks, even though she's covered in powdery white stuff and kinda glaring at me. I don't remember us ever being this close before, except when I was a core and she was carrying me around, but this is different. She seems angry and is growing impatient with me, and I'm getting a feeling that if I don't tell her now, I'll probably never get another chance. But this is much harder than I ever imagined, I mean when I was a core, I never felt this… _feeling_. My throat is tightening and I'm breathing faster and shaking. I can't do this, even though I just need to say, "I'm sorry." No, I have to say more than that.

"Umm… hi? I guess? I-I wanted to tell you, I mean like _really _badly, that-that I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. F-For being so terrible to you and-and making you test…"

This hurts. A LOT. I feel my voice being lost out into the air and my vision going blurry, as well as my face burning. What is this? Is this how humans short-circuit or something?

"… I-I'm sorry for trying to kill you all those times… I'm sorry."

I almost whisper the last two words as the blurriness goes away, but I'm left with water running down my cheeks. When I'm done my little "speech", I look straight into the lady's eyes. Her expression hasn't changed, and I just royally embarrassed myself.

~Chell~

He apologized, and I can tell he meant it; he's crying, and that is not easy to fake, especially for a moron like him. It's nice to know he said sorry but it doesn't change anything. He's still the person who betrayed me, still the person who scarred me, still the person who tried to kill me, still the person he was.

I narrow my eyes and shake my head.

_I will never forgive you, you heartless monster_, I think.

His head lowers and he stares at the floor. Yes, I probably hurt his feelings, but it's nowhere near as bad and hurtful as what he did to me. I swiftly turn around and exit the shop, leaving Wheatley and the memories he brought with him behind.


	3. Chapter 3 - Feelings

**A/N: 'Allo peeps! I'm going to try to write during the week so I can post Friday nights or weekends from now on, but sometimes I will have time to post throughout the week. Alright, that's enough talking. TO THE STORY!**

~Wheatley~

I don't know what to do now. The only thing I wanted to do after I was let out; the only person I wanted to see doesn't forgive me. She probably hates me and will never forgive and forget the past. Argh. Why did I have to become so evil and power-hungry and monstrous and terrible… and murderous.

"You know, you deserved that. You also deserved all the time you spent in space, and so much more punishment and torture for what you did to her," that man states coldly. Wait a minute…

My gaze at the floor is broken as I snap my head up to look at him, in complete disbelief. How does he know who I am and what I did?! He must've read my mind because he goes on to answer the exact question that enters my head.

"Yes, Chell told me. She told me _**everything**_," he says with an icy tone. So that's her name… Chell. The whole time we were together, even while I was in the mainframe, _I never knew her name._

"So I can tell you probably hate me—"

"Not probably; I _really _hate you."

"Umm… ok… thanks f-for clarifying that… I-uh… Where-Where does she live, exactly?" I ask nervously, and the guy laughs bitterly.

"And why would I tell _you_ that?"

" 'Cause you don't know what I've been through to get here," I retort, growing angry with him.

"I know that anything that you have experienced has been like heaven to the torture Chell's been through."

I consider the fact, and debate whether or not to tell him what I had to do to get here; the sacrifice I had to make…

"You wouldn't understand…" I mutter, turning away. "Look, I-I just _really _need to see her. I need to apologize."

He exhaled loudly and ran his hand through his hair.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he mumbled to himself, although I can hear him. "Alright. I'll tell you where she is as long as you promise never to hurt her."

I nod fervently and he explains where Chell is, and how to get there. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to earn her forgiveness and trust once again.

~Chell~

"Chell? I know you're in there, so please answer!"

Ugh. Thanks to Stephan, he knows my name and where I live. He's been at this for at least an hour, and his constant knocking on my door is giving me a headache. I'm about to leave through the back door and walk to Stephan's house when he stops and I hear him sigh.

"I just wanna talk to you, Chell. At least let you know how dreadfully sorry I am about what happened. I promise that I'm not the same core that you sent to space; I-I'm… different."

If he's trying to guilt trip me into letting him in, he's doing a darn good job at it because I find myself staring at the door that's now two feet away from me, biting my lip. Taking a deep breath, I put my hand on the door handle and start to turn it. I'm going to regret this later.

"Oh, s-so you're not dead! You-You _were_ listening!" he sputters with a guilty half-smile, and I nod, trying to keep a straight face. Part of me wants to reach out and choke him, but the other part wants to hug him and never let him leave again. I gesture to inside my house and I think he gets it.

"Umm… You want me to go in there?" he asks anxiously. As I turn around towards my living room, I motion for him to follow. I grab a notepad and a pencil and sit on the couch, waiting patiently for him to join me because he's walking slowly as to avoid breaking or bumping into things. How considerate of him, though he obviously fails to see the thick blue rug on the floor in front of the sofa and lets out a faint shriek as he trips and falls forward. To my dismay, he lands on top of me and I quickly shove him backwards and act like nothing happened.

"I-I… um… S-Sorry 'bout that… I-uh… tripped," he stammers, terribly red-faced and looking everywhere but at me. I shrug, giving him the impression of "whatever", and then I pat the seat on the couch that's next to me.

"Oh. S-Sure, luv."

I re-grip the pencil and start writing on the paper.

_Why are you here?_, I scrawl fairly quickly before I show Wheatley.

"Well… I-um… I never got to finish my apology earlier, and… uh…" he states before he turns away from me, but I can tell he's blushing when he continues, "… and I-I really wanted to-to see you again, y'know? 'Cause… uh…"

I look at him with one eyebrow raised as to say to him, "seriously?", and I'm pretty sure he gets the message.

He continues, quiet and sounding a bit disheartened, "… I-I just… really wanted to… um… say hi? Yeah… just to-just to say hello… again."

One thing I've learned about him today: he does not know how to control or conceal his emotions. It may be because he never had to as a core, but then again he never was able to manage his anger in the chassis… Maybe it's just his personality.

_Is that all?_, I ask.

"Yup," he responds, nodding his head. I'm about to tell him to leave when suddenly a dreadful thought finds its way into my mind.

_Do you have anywhere to go?_, I write tentatively.

"Well… um… no," he breathes shamefully, and I sigh heavily. I swear I'm going to regret this someday.

_I guess you can stay for tonight, and I'll help you find somewhere to live tomorrow. Okay?_

I look up at him and when he's finished reading what I wrote, he looks back at me, completely horrified.

"I-I… no… I really don't-don't need to stay here. It's-uh… You-You hate me. Staying here would be totally unnecessary and-and you'd probably hate it and… uh…" he trails off.

_Please?_

"You-You actually _want _me to stay?" he falters, incredulous, and I hesitantly nod, avoiding his eyes.

"Thank you, luv," he mutters after a few minutes of silence. I get off the couch and start heading to my room when I hear Wheatley call out to me softly and I turn to look at him.

"Chell?"

I stare directly into his refulgent, azure eyes and he stares straight into mine.

"I'm sorry," he says solemnly, and rather than comforting me like you'd expect, his apology only reminds me of what I tried so hard to forget and makes me feel colder inside than I already am. No matter how hard he tries or what he does, I'm _never_ going to forgive him. Instead of nodding or writing down anything in means of forgiveness, I pivot again towards my room, enter, then close and lock the door behind me. Despite how much I want him gone, I can't help feeling like I want him here; I want him to stay with me forever; I never want him to leave again. I sigh quietly, and think of all the things that have happened in the last twenty-four hours; if my life just became ten times better or ten times worse. My eyelids grow heavy and I pull the covers up just enough to conceal my scarred, sun-deprived shoulders. Just before I drift into a state of deep sleep, the one question that I don't know how to answer pops into my mind.

_What am I going to do with my life?_

Ignoring its pleading for an answer, I doze off, dreading tomorrow's dawn, yet longing for it to come faster. Maybe Wheatley's sudden appearance today _will _make my life ten times better. Just maybe…


End file.
